Truly I tell you, I don’t actually like the legendary thrash/groove metal band Pantera very much. Just not my cup of tea. The title of their 1992 studio album, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’, pretty much sums up my feelings about the band.

But today is the 8th anniversary of the death of Pantera’s revered guitarist, Dimebag Darrell.

During the mid- to late-’90s Pantera began to fall apart due mainly to vocalist Phil Anselmo’s rampant drug abuse. The Abbott brothers, guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul, moved on to form the band Damageplan. It was during a Damageplan performance in Columbus, Ohio on 8 December 2004 that Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage.

This post, then, pays tribute to Dimebag Darrell. (Also it’s the back story to my next post.)